Method of making covering material



Jan. 14, 1936. A. B. MILLER 2,027,744

METHOD 0F MAKING COVERING MATERIAL Filed Aug. 3l, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet l /9 4 INVENTOR.

/7 ,4BP/MIME@ M/LLER //S ATTORNEY Jan. 14, 1936. A I A. B. MILLER 2,027,744.

METHOD OF MAKING COVERING MATERIAL Filed Augz 3l, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ld/755W Transfer' Drum IN V EN TOR. AHPA/#7M E ALM/LEZ BY @eg j@ H/5 ATTORNEY Patented Jn. 14, 1936 APATENT oFFlcE ME'rnon vor MAKING oovEmNG MATER Abraham Beck Miller, Berkeley, Calif., assignor to The Paraiine Companies. Inc., San Francisco, Calif., a corporation of Delaware Application August 31,

7 Claims.

My invention relates to covering materials, and more particularly to improvements in the decorative values of such materials. l

It is among the objects of my invention to provide a decorative covering material having a grained surface of striking beauty.

Another object of my invention is to provide a covering material of the character described which is capable of being fabricated in the form of a comparatively thin sheet, adapted for such uses as wall paper and other bonded surface coverings, and for purposes, such as wrapping paper, where a thin flexible sheet material of decorative value is desired.

Another object of my invention is to provide a method of forming an inlaid design in a very thin coating layer, say in the order of .007 inch thick, so that a covering material may be produced which, including its backing sheet, is of substantially paper thickness.

Another object of my invention is to provide such a coating layer which 'may be formed to embody any desired pattern, or inlaid design, such as for example the beautiful types of inlaid pattern grainingsand marblings developed in the art of inlaid linoleum.

Another object of my invention is'to provide Va covering material of the character described embodying the decorative coating layer of my invention.

A further object of my inventionis to provide a method-of manufacturing the covering material by a continuous process.v

'Ihe invention possesses other objects and fea-l tures of advantage, some 'of which, with the foregoingivzwill be set forth inthe following description of my invention. It is to `be understood that I do not limit myself to this disclosure of species of my invention, as I may adopt va,- y

Figure 2l is an enlarged vertical sectional viewA of the same.'

Figures 3 and 4 are similar views showing modified forms of the covering material. E

Figure A5 is-'a diagrammatic view illustrating 1934, serial No. 142,288

RUSSUE the method employed in fabricating the material shown in Figures 1 and 2.

Figure 6 is a vertical sectional view of the material during a stage of the process, showing the peeling operation.

Figure 7 is another diagrammatic view illustrating a variant form of process embodying the improvements of my invention.

Figure 8 is also a diagrammatic view, illustrating still another form of process.

In terms of broad inclusion, the method of making the covering material embodying my invention comprises preparing a sheet, preferably of plastic material such as linoleuxn4 composition, so that it-v embodies the pattern character desired in the covering material. This sheet is then placed against the surface of a body, such as the side of another sheet, upon which the design is to be imparted, and a bond is formed between the two which exceeds the bonding force between the particles of the plastic sheet. The plastic sheet is then peeled from the body. During this peeling step the surface portions of the plastic sheet are split off and left on the surface `of the The surface layer split off from the plastic sheet is very thin, yet there is sulcient material transferred to carry over the major elements of the design.

1f the design initially formed in the plastic sheet is inlaid, the pattern persists through the sheet, and repeated layers may be taken from the sheet before it is discarded. When the decorative layer so transferred is imparted directly to another sheet, the latter may comprise a part, suchas the backing sheet, of the final covering material; or, the sheet upon which the decoration is applied may be transparent, in which case it Vmay form an outer layer overlying the decorative layer. In either case, a coating, either transparent or pigmented, is preferably applied overthe decorative layer.

If desired the decorative layer, after being applied on one sheet, may be transferred to another sheet, the latter comprising a part of the final covering material. Furthermore, the rst transfer may .be made to an intermediate body which is in the nature of a metallic drum rather than a sheet. and the decorative layer then transferred from the drum to the final sheet.

The decorative layer as it appears in the flnal covering material is of irregular thickness, by virtue of the method employed in its application, and in some places is so thin as to be translucent, or actually discontinuous. In other yplaces the layer is heavier and opaque, and carries a In greater detail, and' referring particularly' to Figures 1 and 2, a type of covering material embodying the improvements of my invention is shown as comprising an overlying transparent sheet 2 of a tough, flexible material, such as Cellophane. .It is understood however that'other suitable materials may be employed in this layer, the chief requirement being that it be transparent, although considerable latitude is allowed evenin this qualification. It is unnecessary that the sheet be clearly transparent. `It might merely be translucent. By the term transparent therefore I mean to include lall degrees of transparency, from clear transparency to translucency. r.Coated on `the under surface of the transparent sheet 2 is a decorative layer 3.*

This layer is pigmented and carries the design conguration, and is preferably of an initially plastic material, such as oleum composition.

The colored components aking up the pat tern, or grainings, in .the decorative layer 3 are preferably inlaid in the layer, in the same sense that the colored components of linoleum composition are inlaid in what is known, as the inlaidV type 'of linoleum. The inlaid pattern grainings, such as the beautiful marblings' developed inthe art of inlaid linoleum, are preferably employed in the decorative coating 3 of my present covering material.

The decorative coating 3 in my material is comparatively thin, preferably averaging about .007 inch thick. It will also be noted thatv the layer 3 is of irregular thickness, and in some places is so thin as to be translucent, or actually discontinuous. In other places the layer is heavier and opaque. While I have mentioned jlinoleum composition as being a suitable material for use in the decorative layer 3, it is understood that other materials may be used. This will be appreciated more clearly as the method, by which the coating layer 3 is applied, is developed.

As best shown in Figure 2 the transparent sheet -2, carrying the decorative coating 3, is bonded'to a base 4 by means of an adhesive layer 6. The .adhesive layer 6 may be transparent, ornit maycontain a pigment. If colored, thellayer 8 is preferably 'of background coloration, so that the ground color will be vise ible through the transparent or translucent areas of the decorative layer 3. The background may be of a .plain colo'r or of a design-conguration. Of course the adhesive layer' may be transl parent, and the background coloration provided bythe base 4'. The base 4 may be in the'form of a sheet, and may be of any suitable terial, such as paper, cloth or berboard. On t e other hand, the base 4 may be in the nature of a prefabricated object, -such as a container, piece of furniture, or the like. y

'I'he type of adhesive employed in the layer 6 is subject .to variation within wide A cement of thelthermoplastic type -is preferably used. Ordinary rosin suitably plasticized, and

n either deposited from solution or applied hot to the base by means of a scraper or roller, is a suitable adhesive. Gum-like, natural or synthetic resins may b e used without a plasticizer.

Ordinary linoleum cement may be used, as may other oil-resin combinations. The vegetable and animal glues may also be used. If an asphalt adhesive is used its natural black color will prov`vide a dark background, when such is desired. 5 As also best shown in Figure 2, the upper surface of the Cellophane sheet 2 is provided with a surface coating 1.] 'Ihis outer coating is of a transparent waterproof material, such as lacquer, so that the covering is rendered washable, a feature which is highly desirable. Of course the coating 7- may be omitted where the transparent layer 2 has been preprocessed so as to render it waterproof, as in the case of waterproof cellophane.

The method of forming the thin decorative layer 3 on the cellophane sheet 2 is illustrated in Figure 6. The first step is to prepare a sheet 8 of plastic material, such as uncured linoleum composition. This sheet carries the design de- 2o sired in the-decorative layer 3, and is preferably a sheetof unmatured inlaid linoleum. Many beautiful types of inlaid pattern grainings and marblings have been developed in the art of inlaid linoleum, and are available for the purpose 25 I employ the. linoleum composition in my improved lcovering material. The plastic sheet 3 is placed against the sheet 2' and a bond formed between these bodies which exceeds the binding force betweenl the particles of the plastic lino- 30 leum composition in the sheet 8.

-I have formed such a bond Aby placing the sheets under pressure and subjecting them to a temperature of about 200 degrees F. for about iive seconds. After the bond has been formed 35 the plastic sheet 3 is peeled from the sheetv 2 being decorated. During lthis peeling operation fthe surface'portions of the plastic sheet are-split oil.' and retained on the sheet 2 in a more or less continuous layer. This layer is very thin, being 4o on an average of about '.007 inch thick, but contains sumcient material to carry over the major elements of the design existing in'the sheet l. By reason of the fact that the design is inlaid in the sheet 3, and for that reason persistsy v Y through 'the thickness 'of the sheet. repeated transfers can be rmade from the 'same sheet. After a given sheet beginsto lose beauty however it is sent back to be reworked into a new v sheet. -50

A pleasing texture may be imparted to the ymaterial if the sheet 2 is placed against a roughened surface when in the press. A convenient way of effecting `this roughening is by interposing a sheet of fabric, such as 4 oz. Ozenburg 5 cloth, between the press and the sheet 2. Of

'course any other means for providing a roughcomposition, may be employed in the sheetA 8.

For example plastic sheets of asphalt, rubber er synthetic resin compositions may be employed.

The method of makingthe laminated covering material shown inl Figures 1 and 2 isillustrated diagrammatically in Figure. 5. The Cello--A phane sheet 2-and plastic designvcarrying sheet 8 are fed together between a heated drum 9 and pressure belt Il. After emerging from this heat 75 v plete structure.

pressv the united sheets are fed. forwardly, and promptly after leaving the press, and while the plastic sheet is still warm, the latter is peeled from the Cellophane sheet. Subsequent to this peeling operation the Cellophane sheet, now carrying its decorative coating, is passed between a pair of ,pressure rolls `I2 together with the base sheet 4 which had previously had an.

the layers 2 and 3 alone, may be provided. Inv

this case the purchaser may cement the material on any suitable base to build up the com- The covering material may also be manufactured in the form shown in Figure 3. In this case the backing for the sheet merely comprises a layer I6 of suitable material, such as paint. The pigment in this paint layer therefore provides the background color as did the pigment in the adhesive layer 6 of the structure shown in Figure 2.

Still another form of material is shown in Figure 4. In this case the decorative layer I1 is formed directly on a base sheet I8, such as paper. In the process of making this type of covering material the paper base sheet I1 is bonded with the plastic sheet, so that when the plastic sheet is peeled off the material split off is left on the base sheet. The color of the paper comprising the base sheet may be employed for the background color, or the sheet may be given a surface coloring before the decorative layer is applied. A surface coating I 9 of suitable waterproof material, such as lacquer, is preferabli7 provided to form a washable covering material.

-As illustrated in Figure 4, the surface coating I9 tends to follow somewhat the surface contour of the irregular layer I1. This irregularity of surface tends to promote rather than detract from the beauty of the covering material. While the enlarged view shown in Figure 4 gives the impression of material thickness, it is to be understood that the actual covering material does not exceed ordinary writing vpaper thickness. This type of covering provides an ideal wall-paper.

Figure 7 'illustrates diagrammatically a variant form of method embodying the improvements of my invention. In this method a temporary transfer sheet 2| of any suitable material, such as Cellophane, is bonded to a plastic sheet 22, such as linoleum composition, by pressing the two together in a suitable heat press 23,

following which the linoleum composition is peeled from the Cellophane. sheet, leaving a portion of the composition on the latter sheet. These steps of the process are similar to those of the method described in connection with Figure 5. After the rst peeling operation the Cellophane sheet 2| carrying the decorative coating is pressed against another sheet 24 in a second press 26. The latter sheet comprises a part, such as the base sheet, of the nal covering, and may be of any suitable material, such as paper.

Prior to entering the press 26, the sheet 24 is preferably given an adhesive coatingby a suitable device 21. The purpose of this adhesive is to provide a stronger bond with the decorative l coating on the Cellophane sheet than that existing between the decorative layer and the Cellophane. Any suitable adhesive may be used, such as an oleo-resinous composition, or a vegetable or animal glue. After the sheets have been pressed together in the press 26 the Cellophane sheet 2I is peeled fromthe base sheet 24, leaving the decorative coating on the latter sheet.

In order to assist in this transfer of the decorative coating from the Cellophane sheet to the base sheet, means are preferably provided for loosening the bond between the decorative coating and the Cellophane sheet. A convenient way of doing this is vto provide a suitable device 28 for moistening the Cellophane. The application of heat, or the use of solvents, may be employed to effect the loosening, depending upon the character of th e sheets and the type of adhesive used. In this process it will be noted that the Cellophane sheet 2I does not comprise a part of the final covering material, but merely operates as acarrier or transfer sheet during the process. 'Ihe double transfer process just described is important because the final decorative coating has a character different from that of the original pick-off, and enables making a product of the type of Figure 4 with a smoother surface on layer I1 when such is desirable.- This change comes about due to the second pressing operation and the subsequent transfer from one sheet to another.

A variation of `the above process is illustrated diagrammatically in Figure 8 in which the decorative layer of plastic composition is transferred by a drum 3l instead of by an intermediate sheet. The plastic sheet 32 is shown pressed against the heated drum 3l by a suitl.able pressure belt 32. After passing between drum and pressed there-against by a second pressure belt 36. As the sheet 34 leaves the transfer drum 3I it carries with it the layer of -plastic composition which had been picked off from the parent sheet 32 by the drum. The sheet 34 upon which the decorative coating is vfinally deposited may be of any suitable material, such as paper, and may be treated, prior to its contact with the drum, with a suitable cementitious material to promote its adhesive properties.

I claim: y 1. The steps inthe method o f making a covering material which comprise placing a preformed sheet against the surface of a body, forming a bond between the sheet and body which exceeds the bonding between the particles of the sheet, and then peeling the sheet from the body so that surface portions comprising an integral part of the sheet are split off and retained on the surface of said body. 2. The steps in the method of making a covering material which comprise placing a preformed plastic sheet against the surface' of a body, applying heat and pressure to form a bond between the sheet and body which exceeds the bonding between the particles of the sheet, and then peeling the sheet `from the body so that surface portions comprising an integral part of the sheet are split oi! and retained on the surface of said body. y

3. The steps in the methodof making a covering material which comprise placing a preformed plastic sheet against the roughened surface of a body, applying heat and pressure to form a bond between the sheet and body which.

exceeds the bonding between the particles of the sheet, and then peeling the -sheet from the body particles of the sheet,'and then peeling the sheet from the body so that surface portions comprising an integral part of the sheet are split olf and retained on the surface of said body.

5. The steps in the method of making a covering material which comprise placing a preformed sheet against the surface of a body, forming a bond between the sheet and body which exceeds the bonding between theparticles of the sheet, then peeling the sheet from the body so that surface portions comprising' an integral part of the sheet are split off and retained on the surface of said body, placing another bond between the sheets which exceeds that between the particles of the plastic sheet, and then peeling the plastic sheet from the one being decorated so that surface portions of the plastic sheet are split off and retained on the surface` of the sheet being decorated to impart thereto a pattern characterizing the design inlaid in the plastic sheet.

'1. The steps in the method of making a covering material, which comprise placing a sheet of uncured linoleum against theA surface of a body, pressing the linoleum against the body to form a bond therebetween which exceeds the bonding between the particles of.- linoleum composition, and then peeling the sheet from the body so that a surface film of linoleum is split oir and retained as a coating on the surface of the body.

ABRAHAM BECK MILLER. 

